ISSN 2397-9127

PRINCIPIUM The Newsletter of the Initiative for Interstellar Studies Issue 14 | August 2016

■■ Guest Introduction by Paul Gilster ■■ News from the Initiative ■■ Cosmos: A Personal Voyage

■■ The BIS Daedalus Model - the last lap R O ■■ The Starship Engineer Course 2015 F E V ■■ Interstellar Studies at the ISU 2016 I T

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www.i4is.org Scientia ad sidera Knowledge to the stars

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 1 account in this issue is no more than a taste of what was delivered in Strasbourg. Editorial Last November the i4is delivered a two-day Starship Welcome to Principium 14, our quarterly Engineer course at BIS HQ in London. Kelvin Long newsletter about all things interstellar. Our Guest and Rob Swinney give us an outline of its content. Introduction this time is by Paul Gilster of the This is the first of a series of technical courses at invaluable Centauri Dreams blog and the Tau Zero several levels which i4is is planning. Foundation. He muses on the relations between The front cover illustration this time is a "blueprint" Science Fiction, space advocacy, exoplanets, SETI of the thermonuclear Orion spacecraft as envisaged and increasingly well funded projects for interstellar for the Cosmos series. probes. Paul is one of our foremost "rational For our rear cover we have an image we spotted on dreamers" and we look forward to more Centauri Paul Gilster's Centauri Dreams website. No obvious Dreams. His thoughts will always be very keenly interstellar connection but the beauty of the image welcomed in Principium. bowled us over! Interstellar News this time reports on the Andromeda Look out for the latest issue of our academic probe project. We report from Charterhouse, the education journal, Axiom, out soon, and for annual British Interplanetary Society (BIS) Space opportunities to help us achieve our interstellar Conference with i4is contributors and the unveiling goals, Working towards the real Final Frontier, of Terry Regan's Daedalus model, soon to appear in towards the end of this issue. You don't have to be a the BIS headquarters. Two of our regular and highly rocket scientist! valued artists have been honoured by the BIS and by a pair of influential SF organisations. Adrian Mann Comments on i4is and all matters interstellar are was honoured with the BIS Patrick Moore medal. always welcome. Write to me! David Hardy gave the principal address at the joint John I Davies, Editor, Principium AGM of the British Science Fiction Association [email protected] and the Science Fiction Foundation; we report from Imperial College. BIS and i4is will be contributing PS Look out for the STOP PRESS at the end of to science television in Japan, we report from BIS the account of Starship Engineer 2015 announcing HQ. Starship Engineer 2016 - Weekend of 12-13 November, BIS London. This is a revised and We have more schools outreach happening updated version of the course with a more work- in London. We'd love to help the interstellar friendly timing. Contact [email protected] for more community to inspire the rising generation UK-wide, details. across Europe and worldwide. Please get in touch via contacts, at the end of this editorial. Kelvin Long, Executive Director of i4is, is a long established collector of space art and memorabilia. Keep in touch! He remembers, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, the Join in the conversation by following the pioneering television series by Carl Sagan and shows i4is on our Facebook page www.facebook. us some of the original art work for the series which com/InterstellarInstitute he has acquired from the original artist. Become part of our professional net- work on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/ Terry Regan completes a saga of detailed model groups/4640147 making stretching over several years in The BIS And take a look at the i4is blog, The Star- Daedalus Model - the last lap. More pictures of ship Log www.i4is.org/the-starship-log how it was done and an engrossing account of the Follow us on Twitter at @I4Interstellar mishaps and triumphs on the way to his completion And seek out our followers too! and it's unveiling. Contact us on email via [email protected]. Back issues of Principium, from number The i4is two-week elective for masters students one, can be found at www.i4is.org/Publica- at the International Space University is reported tions#Principium in Interstellar Studies at the ISU. This was a very substantial piece of work by i4is people and The views of our writers are their own. We aim associates from industry and academe and the for sound science, but not editorial orthodoxy. Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 2 Shaping the Interstellar Imagination

INTRODUCTION Writing and editing Centauri Dreams over imagination soar because of what they imply the years, I’ve talked to numerous scientists and about our future. engineers in universities, space agencies and the commercial sector. They’re my primary sources Long Journey to Earth 2.0 and they often take the time to answer questions While we dream of places like Pandora, and write for the site. But I’m always struck by Avatar’s utterly unlikely setting (gas giants the number of non-technical people who weigh in around Centauri A and B have been ruled to discuss the prospects of reaching another star. out), or imagine evocative worlds like Robert Curiosity among the public is rampant, and we Silverberg’s Majipoor, we’re also hoping to in the interstellar community need to nurture it. close the circle by detecting a real Earth-like Fortunately, a number of trends are converging world. that make this easier. About 1,200 light years from Earth in the Let’s start with science fiction, because the direction of the constellation Lyra, Kepler­ field has proven enormously productive in 62f is a world with a radius 40 percent larger enlisting new enthusiasts no matter what their than Earth’s, which puts it below the 1.6 RE backgrounds. Science fiction writer and critic demarcation line that is increasingly thought to Adam Roberts, whose recent novel The Thing define the difference between Earth-like worlds Itself (Gollancz, 2015) is a new and richly and planets that are more like Neptune. Thus developed take on the Fermi paradox, likes to talk we’re probably looking at a rocky planet here. about science fiction as a genre that keeps alive It’s also a planet that orbits its K-class­ primary our facility for what he calls ‘imaginative play,’ at a distance that could place it in the outer something that we’re pretty good at as kids and regions of the habitable zone (as defined by the tend to lose all too quickly among the pressures of possibility of liquid water on the surface). adult jobs, families and other responsibilities. New work on this world examines the Paul A. Gilster Imaginative play is something I try to engage in planet’s atmosphere to consider scenarios everyday. As does the interstellar community, that could produce habitability. A team led which is in the interesting position of straddling by Aomawa Shields (UCLA), working with the line between science fiction and science Rory Barnes, Eric Agol, Benjamin Charnay, fact. We talk about concepts that have yet to be Cecilia Bitz and Victoria Meadows (all at confirmed and discuss possibilities of engineering the University of Washington) modelled that are well beyond what is currently attainable. climate possibilities using several different People who hear about some of these notions methods — the Community Climate System through movies like Interstellar or Avatar take Model and the Laboratoire de Météorologie note when they realize that there are serious Dynamique Generic Model. Informing the people who think there are genuinely possible climate modelling was the use of another futures that involve star-flight. computer model called HNBody, which was used to analyze and adjust the planet’s orbital So let’s talk about what we are doing to engage parameters. Out of all this, we get this from the imagination in fiction and in fact. Much of this Shields: is happening through the ongoing development of space missions. We can thank William Borucki “We found there are multiple atmospheric (NASA Ames), principal investigator for NASA's compositions that allow [Kepler62f]­ to be Kepler mission, for his herculean efforts at getting warm enough to have surface liquid water. the stupendously successful exoplanet ­hunting This makes it a strong candidate for a space telescope to fly. And among thousands of habitable planet.” confirmed exoplanets that are the result of this, we’re beginning to find a few worlds that let the

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 3 Habitability is a thorny issue, obliquity — the angle between exoplanet populations statistically, and all too often we look the planet’s rotational axis and we’re now about to start deeper into the composition and its orbit. The Earth’s obliquity is populating the local neighborhood characteristics of distant worlds 23 percent. An axial tilt of 60° around M­-dwarfs, K­-dwarfs and only to find that the likelihood or higher, coupled with summer G­-class stars much like the Sun. of liquid water on their surface solstice at a given hemisphere is slim. In many cases the planet occurring at the planet’s closest Couple this with the James Webb may not be a rocky terrestrial approach to its star, could Space Telescope, which is on world at all. But Kepler62f­ passes produce this effect, allowing track for a 2018 launch, and we most of our tests and remains a surface conditions that were at can begin drilling down to smaller seriously intriguing candidate, least periodically habitable. worlds as we study planetary even if to house liquid water, atmospheres. There is an exciting it would need an atmosphere This is where we are today. possibility of a starshade, a with a great deal more carbon We’d like much better results, specialized occulter far from the dioxide than we find in Earth’s but unambiguous habitability is parent telescope, ­­to complement atmosphere to keep the surface something we’re finding hard to the upcoming WFIRST (Wide from remaining in a deep freeze. confirm anywhere. Field Infrared Survey Telescope), By adjusting carbon dioxide levels which should launch in the mid­ in their atmospheric models, the Even so, the future is bright, 2020s. This would give us our researchers learned that given what with the TESS (Transiting best view yet of a rocky world various orbital configurations, Exoplanet Survey Satellite) around another star. Can analysis there were circumstances where mission due for a launch of such a planet’s atmosphere habitability was possible. next year in a quest to survey in search of biosignatures be far nearby stars for planets, and behind? Just how Earth-like is Kepler62f?­ the European Space Agency’s Not very. There is a chance that PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and The SETI Overlap with CO2 levels like the Earth’s, Oscillations of stars) planned for As exoplanet detection becomes increasingly refined and we start peering into small planet atmospheres, we may just make some anomalous detections with SETI implications. KIC 8462852 is an F­-class star whose lengthy designation belies the fact that it is what Penn State’s Jason Wright calls ‘the most mysterious star in our galaxy'. Coming from Wright, this is especially noteworthy, as he heads up a project called GHA­ T, standing for Glimpsing Heat from Alien Technologies. Wright, along with co-investigators Steinn Sigurðsson and Matthew Povich (Cal Poly Pomona) are Image: The Kepler­62 system, with Kepler­62f at the very outskirts of the seriously engaged in studying habitable zone. Note the contrast with our own Solar System’s habitable what kind of infrared signature zone. Credit: NASA Ames/JPL­Caltech. a high-level civilization might put out. Richard Carrigan (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory) the planet could experience 2024. Unlike Kepler, missions may come to mind here. He was melting of ice sheets on an annual like these won’t be limited to a an early proponent of looking for cycle. This would depend on fixed field of generally distant possible Dyson spheres. a high degree of axial tilt, or stars. Having documented

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 4 We have a hard time wrapping our heads around the engineering that could build a cluster of solar power stations around a star to such an extent that the starlight might actually begin to dim, much less an actual sphere (far less likely, it’s thought, because of stability issues) around such a star. But if we grant advanced civilizations the powers they might well possess, we can’t rule such things out. And now we have KIC 8462852, an anomalous star that, unlike Kepler’s other relatively straightforward transits, shows a transit light curve of unusual proportions. interesting from our perspective discussed possible natural causes Just what is out there around as interstellar advocates is the of the phenomenon. A carefully KIC 8462852? If it were a single social media and crowd-sourcing modulated paper from Jason planet, we would see a dip in of ideas and resources that has Wright and team mentioned the the star’s light followed by a accompanied this story. Tabetha possibility of extraterrestrial recovery, all of this occurring in Boyajian (Yale University), engineering, launching wild ways that would allow us to learn for whom the star often called media speculation that in no a great deal about the planet in ‘Tabby’s Star’ is named, heads up way reflected his group’s careful question, including its mass and a project called Planet Hunters approach. Furthermore, Tabetha likely composition. that puts Kepler data in front Boyajian followed up with a of the general public. This is a successful Kickstarter campaign But have a look at KIC 8462852’s good idea because even the best to support a year­-long further light curve, which is like nothing algorithms sometimes miss things investigation of KIC 8462852 that has previously been found. that the human brain’s pattern using the automated instruments recognition abilities can see. of the Las Cumbres Observatory We have no idea what is causing Global Telescope Network. these light curves, though various It was a civilian effort ­­citizen Steady eyes on this star are important because we don’t know what its light curve is going to do next, and in any case the Kepler mission, now in its K2 extended observation cycle, can no longer view the star. That we can now proceed is owing to the Internet, which has gifted us with the capability of funding a serious scientific Image: A transiting planet usually leaves a well behaved light curve, reflecting project solely through the the dip in starlight as the planet moves across the face of the stellar disk. Credit: efforts of curious citizens. That NASA. SETI is a driver for this interest natural explanations have been scientists that found the anomalies is unmistakeable. In fact, the offered, such as an unusual surrounding KIC 8462852, and Allen Telescope Array has already swarm of comets. But likewise it was Boyajian’s paper that had a quick look at Tabby’s

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 5 Image: The Kepler­62 system, with Kepler­62f at the very outskirts of the habitable zone. Note the con- trast with our own Solar System’s habitable zone. Credit: NASA Ames/JPL­Caltech. Star just in case microwave that has provided a glimpse of Parkes observatory in Australia, beaming might be going on there such places. If Kepler62f­ offers a Breakthrough Starshot brings by way of furnishing power to potentially habitable canvas for $100 million to the table, funding an ongoing mega-engineering the imagination, KIC 8462852 concept studies toward an project. Although the ATA found now gives us a mystery to solve. audacious goal: Using a phased no sign of such beaming, the short laser array to push a fleet of observation period allows us to Breakthrough Starshot: Memories miniaturized spacecraft at 20 draw no real conclusions about of Heinlein percent of light-speed to Alpha what may be happening at longer Imagination, mystery, distant Centauri. time-frames. worlds, all are fodder for renewing public interest in space. The time-line for Starshot is SETI carries huge fascination What the interstellar community 10 years of R&D, 10 years for for people who have been raised has also needed, though, is a construction of the System, 21 with science fiction in their driver for serious research into years transit time for the first magazines and on their TVs and the kind of technologies that can sail-craft. The micro-probes cinema screens, the film Contact make an actual mission possible. (the initiative refers to them as being an obvious referent. But 2016 saw the emergence of just ‘Starchips’) would enter the SETI is all about destinations, such a vision and the money to Alpha Centauri system in 2057, the home worlds of whatever research it in the form of Yuri a century after the first Earth civilizations we eventually Milner’s Breakthrough Starshot satellite. encounter. It is the emergence of initiative. Following on the the exoplanet menagerie (over heels of Breakthrough Listen, If the intention is straightforward, 3,200 and counting, with tens a SETI program already taking the problem areas are anything of thousands more on the way) data at Green Bank and the but. What Milner, aided by

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 6 Stephen Hawking and Freeman a small sail survive the laser was on the original team behind Dyson at the New York onslaught directed at it, even the Centauri Bb announcement, so announcement, put forth is the use one only a few minutes long? I think we can let that particular of an enormous phased laser array Can the phased laser array be planet go even as we delve into approximately a kilometer to the built to specifications and get much more intriguing possibilities side, situated perhaps in Chile’s the needed power to the sail? in this system. Atacama desert, to produce Can a spacecraft the size of a Much of the time at Breakthrough enough laser power to drive smartphone or smaller return Discuss was devoted to the small sail-craft up to 20 percent data from 4.3 light years away? problems and possible solutions of light-speed with a burst of The list keeps going: What about for detection of planets around acceleration lasting two minutes interstellar dust? Cosmic ray Centauri A and B. The good news: and hitting 60,000 g’s. The damage? Political and regulatory as seen from Earth, the two stars payload: Miniaturized spacecraft issues? are about as close in their orbits as weighing no more than grams, a they can get, and at an angle that fleet of which could technically be One big ‘if,’ of course, is the makes untangling radial velocity

Image: Yuri Milner presenting the Breakthrough Starshot concept in New York in April 2016. dispatched to nearby interstellar target. We have no information signals hugely problematic. In targets, ensuring against loss about Alpha Centauri planets coming years, that situation is along the way. other than to note, as Xavier going to ease. Dumusque himself pointed out at At a follow-up discussion event in the Palo Alto event, that the earlier We also have the potential for Palo Alto, the core Breakthrough evidence for an Alpha Centauri an interesting find at Proxima Starshot team ran through the Bb has now been shown to be an Centauri, the small red dwarf huge questions raised by the artefact in the data. Dumusque that is about 15.000 AU from the prospect, any Who's in the picture primary Alpha one of which Yuri Milner, Stephen Hawking FRS, Freeman Dyson FRS and Centauri stars. could be a show- Professor Avi Loeb, Harvard University, Chair of the Advisory The Pale Red stopper. Can Committee, Breakthrough Starshot Initiative Dot project,

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 7 under the guidance of Guillem and no other corporation near Earth asteroids, humankind Anglada­ Escudé (Queen Mary would touch. It wasn’t enough was still largely confined to its University, London), has finished for a proposed project to be native planet. The foundation taking data at the European interesting to science or socially believed that Galactique would Southern Observatory’s La Silla desirable; it also had to be so demonstrate the viability of Observatory. Nothing precludes horribly expensive that no one beamships and thus prompt an Earth-sized planet around else would touch it and the private industry to use the Proxima Centauri, although prospective results had to lie project’s beamer to send manned many scenarios for larger worlds so far in the future that it could missions to the outer planets.” have been ruled out. If we find not be justified to taxpayers an inviting target at Proxima, or shareholders. To make the Technologies could be offered Breakthrough Starshot will have LRF directors light up with for lease to commercial space one more option. enthusiasm you had to suggest companies interested in sending something that cost a billion or spacecraft to Mars and beyond, The common thread that runs more and probably wouldn’t thus fuelling future deep-space through all this is the public show results for ten generations, initiatives. The idea is bold and imagination, which must be if ever … something like how energizing, but can it be done? galvanized to support any large to control the weather (they’re Is it possible that the first true space mission. If $100 million working on that) or where does interstellar mission will be created sounds like a lot of money, your lap go when you stand up.” and then built by private funding remember that it’s just for a in a kind of civilization-wide deep conceptual study. Actually In Heinlein’s novel, the Long space Kickstarter? putting Breakthrough Starshot Range Foundation pays off, into a working mission ramps us developing a number of No one can know at this point, up into the multi-billion dollar exploratory starships called but I think we can make one range, rivalling the Large Hadron ‘torch-ships’ that can reach a confident assertion. Whether or Collider. What could drive the substantial percentage of the not Breakthrough Starshot puts public to support such a mission speed of light. a payload through the Alpha would be the discovery of a truly Centauri system decades from Earth-like world around one of Picking up the Heinlein thread, now, we’ll still have learned these stars and the prospect of Allan Steele recently looked at a a great deal about the beamed other forms of life. private, star-minded foundation propulsion and sail technologies in his novel Arkwright (Tor necessary to do the job someday. When he published Time for the Books, 2016) which tells of an Good science is going to come out Stars in 1956, Robert Heinlein organization created through the of this $100 million commitment, envisioned a private foundation estate of the fictional science a level of funding that interstellar funding a manned interstellar fiction writer of the title to studies has never before mission. The Heinlein of those perform much the same service. experienced. days is worth quoting. Here he Here the premise is that building a describes the foundation through nearby infrastructure can become The ensuing ideas continue the eyes of one of the identical the driver for deep space: the synergy of science fact and twin protagonists: imagination that drives science “It was hoped, though, that fiction but also spark the kind “Its coat of arms reads: “Bread the Galactique Project would of public engagement that has Cast Upon the Waters,” bootstrap a new era of space repercussions in support and and its charter is headed: exploration. Aside from brief funding. In an era of commercial ‘Dedicated to the Welfare missions to Mars and the Moon space and citizen science, we’re of Our Descendants.’ The and small-scale efforts to mine all the beneficiaries. charter goes on with a lot of lawyers’ fog but the way the About the Author directors have interpreted it Paul Gilster is author of Centauri Dreams: Imagining and has been to spend money only Planning Interstellar Exploration (Wiley, 2005), and author/ on things that no government editor of the website by the same name (www.centauri­dreams. org). He is one of the founders of the Tau Zero Foundation. Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 8 JohnInterstellar Davies with the latest interstellar-related News news.

Andromeda mission patches, The Andromeda probe project Kelvin commented Credit: K F Long We told you in the last Principium in the delivered about the Breakthrough Initiative report "Although Project Starshot, launched by we may not Yuri Milner with $100m support have adequately and the backing of Stephen addressed all of the Hawking, Mark Zuckerberg technical issues, due and Freeman Dyson. What we to time constraints, could not tell you at the time we hope that this was that i4is experts had already work demonstrates contributed a 40 page report to the the confidence Breakthrough Initiative discussing and capability of the physics, engineering and our team, and the mission architecture issues positive attitude to relating to an interstellar probe make it happen – Ad propelled by beamed energy. Astra!" This work was carried out We'll be reporting in across multiple time zones in more detail on this the US and Europe and at short in subsequent issues. notice. A small team within Our contributors the Initiative for Interstellar will be identifiable Studies was assembled. The time when you meet in Surrey near London from 21 constraints were significant - this them by their Andromeda mission to 23 July 2016. There were two was a three day study! A set patches! interstellar contributions - of questions was asked by the • Kelvin Long, Executive Breakthrough Initiative related BIS at Charterhouse Director of i4is, on Interstellar to the mission. The team were The annual British Interplanetary Flight: Advanced Concept tasked with describing solutions Society (BIS) Space Conference Solutions to these questions. This report, happened at Charterhouse, a • Rob Swinney, Education in its entirety, was initiated and public (in UK parlance) school Director of i4is, on Academic delivered in the Opportunities in required time frame. Interstellar Studies The requirement We also heard was for a probe to reminiscences and history be sent to Alpha going all the way back to Centauri propelled by Mir and further to cordite lasers or microwaves rockets in the first half of with a total mission the 20th century. Wider duration of 50 years aspects of the space travelling at a cruise future were considered speed of 0.1c (i4is by Gerry Webb (BIS Executive Director and Commercial Space Kelvin Long had Technologies Ltd), met with Brigadier Richard Osborne (BIS General Pete and i4is), Mark Hempsell Worden, Chairman Alan Bond congratulates Terry Regan on (President, BIS) and Breakthrough Prize his model of Daedalus for BIS HQ Alan Bond (founder of Foundation, when Left to right - Vix Southgate, Gerry Webb, Reaction Engines and he was in California Mark Hempsell (BIS President), Terry, George Abbey, Alan. co-leader of the BIS during early 2016). Credit: Richard Osborne Daedalus project).

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 9 - David Hardy (see elsewhere Adrian and partner with the in this News), Adrian and the BIS Patrick Moore medal Credit: K F Long youngest Alex Storer (www. thelightdream.net), who you will spaceflight both solar remember contributed our cover system and interstellar, illustration last time. And on the will recognise the name other side of the Atlantic, Jon of Adrian Mann (www. Lomberg (www.jonlomberg.com) bisbos.com). His art and has contributed both in Principium video has helped almost and elsewhere. everyone one in space and interstellar advocacy David A Hardy for many years and he is Our old friend, the "grand old also responsible for the man" of space art, David A images and videos used Hardy, was chief guest speaker by Reaction Engines Ltd at the joint AGM of the Science (www.reactionengines. Fiction Foundation (publishers of co.uk/image_library. Foundation, the Review of Science html and www. Fiction) and the British Science reactionengines.co.uk/ Fiction Association (BSFA) video_gallery.html). at Imperial College, London, 25 June 2016. He showed and explained his art from the 1950s And Charterhouse saw the final Adrian is now the proud holder to this year (see www.astroart.org) unveiling of the new BIS model of the BIS Patrick Moore medal, of the Daedalus starship. This in recognition of his contribution NHK television at BIS magnificent work of art and craft over the years. Kelvin Long, of Rob Swinney, Education was executed by Terry Regan both BIS and i4is, was able to Director of i4is, and Mark of BIS and i4is. The model was deliver the medal in person to Hempsell, President of the British financially sponsored by i4is. Adrian in Hungary where he has Interplanetary Society (BIS) were More about it elsewhere in this lived for many years with his interviewed at BIS HQ, London, issue. partner. David Baker, editor of BIS in June. NHK (Japan's national public broadcasting organisation) Schools Outreach Spaceflight tells us he will be are making Cosmic Front; Since the last issue John Davies, featuring Adrian strongly in an Interstellar Travel. Mark and i4is, has given talks on the imminent issue. We at i4is salute Rob were able to tell NHK about Tsiolkovsky rocket equation and Adrian as one of three generations work from the BIS in the 1950s its significance for interstellar of artists who have supported and 1970s (Project Daedalus, see travel and on his own career in our cause with their imagination elsewhere in this issue) and about space technology, computer more recent work in Project communications and mobile David Hardy at Icarus and Project Dragonfly. data at William Perkin School Imperial College June 2016 The programme will include in Greenford, London. interviews with several other Rob Swinney and John Davies space and interstellar experts. are working with STEMnet We have several readers in London on a major new Japan so it would be good to interstellar project for London hear how the programme turns schools which we also hope out. to roll out across the UK and beyond. SPACEUP:UK BIS Medal for Adrian The 2016 SPACEUP:UK was Regular readers of Principium, in June at Kings College, and just about any source on University of London. The Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 10 main theme was the human body Pressure’) and the Differential in space, especially the effects Sail (which creates a pressure of microgravity. A report from imbalance in Dark Energy). I Kings College researchers was haven't asked the i4is experts especially interesting. They are about these yet so I don't developing a suit to counteract know how exotic they are the ill-effects of microgravity. but intriguing certainly. There was time for a couple of Thanks to Sam short presentations on interstellar Harrison of i4is themes. John Davies of i4is for his input asked the delegates when they to this thought interstellar would be report. achieved. Most thought a robot probe would happen within 50 years and there were even a few optimists who gave it 10 years or less. Most were students SpaceUp:UK, and postgrads with only a also reported sprinkling of oldsters like in thus News). your editor so this bodes well The central scenes, for the interstellar cause. Dr of Lucy in a horizontal Alfredo Carpineti, Astrophysicist treadmill simulating and Science Communicator, of weightless running, are IFLScience (www.iflscience. integrated into evocative images com) told us about Crazy Ways (spot Kew Gardens!). to Reach the Stars - including The Institute Along with the "citizen science" a few I had not heard of - the of Isolation in Beyond the Lab it is showing at Diametrical Drive (which i4is was invited to the other European venues - creates a "Gravitational Curl" to launch of Beyond the Lab at the From 6 July in Bonn at the LVR produce an unbalanced force), London Science Museum in July. LandesMuseum the Disjunction Drive (which Our friend Lucy McCrae had the From 7 July in London at the separates matter from the premier of her short film "The Science Museum gravitational field), the Bias Drive Institute of Isolation" at the show. From 14 July in Warsaw at the (which changes the Gravitational It's about the acclimatisation Copernicus Science Centre Constant in front of the craft, of the human body to space, From 16 August at the producing a ‘Gravitational especially microgravity (echoes of Tehnološki park Ljubljana More at www.sparksproject.eu/ article/event/opening-sparks- exhibition.

TVIW i4is people have always had a close relationship with the Tennessee Valley Interstellar Workshop and we'll be expanding that relationship in future. For a regular update on their work take a look at their quarterly newsletter Have Starship Will Travel (www. tviw.us/resource/newsletter).

Kelvin delivers the Patrick Moore medal to Adrian

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 11 Cosmos: A Personal Voyage

A Daedalus interstellar spacecraft using laser or electron beam fusion propulsion Credit: Rick Sternbach / K F Long collection

i4is Executive Director Kelvin F. Long hymns the work of Rick Sternbach, Carl Sagan and the Cosmos team In 1980 the American Astronomer Carl Sagan took part in one of the best television documentaries ever seen on the subjects of evolution, space and astrophysics, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. This thirteen-part programme was co-written by Sagan and Ann Druyan and Steven Soter, and Sagan also featured as the main presenter. The show was so popular that a book was also published to accompany the series. The series was one of the most widely watched programmes in history and went on to win several awards. It is alleged to have been seen in more than 60 countries and by over 500 million people. Episode eight of the series was titled “Journeys in Space and Time”, which contained ideas about time and space from Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity, discussions on red shift and blue shift relevant to the measurement of distance and speed for interstellar objects. The episode also took Carl Sagan to Italy. Here he discussed the astonishing works of the Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci. It was in this context that he also discussed the British Interplanetary Society (BIS) lunar lander and then went on to a discussion of interstellar travel. This included the different speeds we may be able to travel at, and the implications for time travel, and even circumnavigation of the entire universe. The key starship designs discussed by Sagan included the BIS Project Daedalus (nuclear fusion propulsion), the US Air Force and General Dynamics Project Orion (nuclear bomb propulsion) and the Robert Bussard concept for an Interstellar Hydrogen/Helium ramjet (nuclear fusion propulsion). When discussing the potential for travelling close to the speed of light, Sagan mentioned the possibility of travelling to the centre of the galaxy in only 28 years, or the edge of the Andromeda Galaxy in only 30 years – all ship time of course. Sagan had discussed similar ideas in his paper “Direct Contact Among Galactic Civilizations by Relativistic Interstellar Spaceflight” (Planet.Space Sci, Vol 11, pp.485-498, 1963). For this reason, and others, Sagan is an important participant (and pioneer) in the subject of interstellar studies and SETI, and did much to promote the subject, and its positive benefits to human kind.T oday he is best remembered by the

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 12 Engineering drawing of Orion spacecraft, produced for the Cosmos series. Based on the work of the Orion project team. Credit: Rick Sternbach / K F Long collection

Engineering drawing of Orion spacecraft, produced for the Cosmos series. Based on the work of the Orion project team. Credit: Rick Sternbach / K F Long collection

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 13 Engineering drawing of Daedalus spacecraft, produced for the Cosmos series. Based on the work of the Orion project team. Credit: Rick Sternbach / K F Long collection work of the American Planetary Enzmann Starship: History and also own work by David A Hardy, Society, of which he was a co- Engineering Appraisal” (JBIS, 65, Adrian Mann, Clive Burrows, founder. PP.185-199, 2012, A. Crowl, K. F. Gavin Mundy, and Jackie Burns. I had not watched the original Long, R. Obousy). My ideal space art to collect television series when it first So I contacted Rick and asked would be by John Berkey. All was shown and I only watched it him about the drawings and the of these artists have in common when the DVD collection came paintings, and it turned out that that they are able to communicate out many years later. Suffice it he still had them. So, over several the visions of interplanetary and to say, when I watched episode years, I gradually purchased them interstellar space flight, and help eight, I was quite taken aback by all from Rick and they were sent the public to imagine what the the inspirational visions that were in large parcels from some place future can be, if we continue to shown of the starships, and also called Hollywood, Los Angeles, work towards it. This has been in the highly appropriate context California. a long tradition in the space of Leonardo da Vinci. After sciences, stemming from some The pictures are now displayed of the original artists such as some investigations, I managed on the walls of my home for all to locate the artist responsible American Chesley Bonestell to see. But, when the Initiative and Briton Ralph Smith. It is for the art work shown by Carl for Interstellar Studies has our Sagan, and it turned out to be wonderful that Carl Sagan also own headquarters, we do plan to recognised this tradition and Rick Sternbach, who had also run the occasional art exhibition produced a lot of illustrations for its importance. Today, many of and the pieces will be displayed these artists are represented by the Star Trek television series. for that purpose so that the Later on I would also work with the International Association of general public can also enjoy Astronomical Artists (IAAA) of Rick (and also the artist Don the marvellous work by Rick Davis) in the construction of a which I am an associate member Sternbach, and also be inspired (www.iaaa.org). paper for the Journal of the British by the optimistic visions of Carl Interplanetary Society titled “The Sagan. As a space art collector, I The three Cosmos paintings are

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 14 Sepia prints, all produced for the miniseries Cosmos in 1978-1979.

An interplanetary spacecraft using Orion-type propulsion Credit: Rick Sternbach / K F Long collection

An interstellar spacecraft using Bussard ramscoop-type fusion propulsion Credit: Rick Sternbach / K F Long collection original acrylic creations, done by hand for the Public Broadcasting System miniseries Cosmos in 1978- 1979 and used in production of the program and published in the companion Cosmos hardcover book. The various engineering drawings or ‘blueprints’ are also artwork for the same three vehicles and are known as

About the Author Kelvin F Long has been a leader in Interstellar Studies for many years. He is one of the founders of the Initiative for Interstellar Studies and is currently its Executive Director.

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 15 The BIS Daedalus Model - the last lap Terry Regan The two stages of the completed model - note the small human figures at the base of the first stage Credit: Terry Regan

Following on from the photo feature in the last Principium, Terry Regan, of i4is, BIS and the North Essex Astronomical Society tells us about the final part of his construction of a 1:450 scale model of the BIS Daedalus starship. This is a personal account of around 700 hours work. That's about 100 working days or nearly 6 months solid work. And Terry has a day job too! The Initiative for Interstellar Studies salutes our most skilled model builder and looks forward to seeing the model at the British Interplanetary Society headquarters in London in the near future.

Terry gave an account of the early stages of the work in Principium 8 "Building Daedalus: Step-by-Step". This concentrated on the smaller second stage. He takes up the story….

Daedalus The 1st Stage (Engine) After building the second stage I took a couple of months off and in that time I spent looking around for various parts and bits and pieces to build the 1st stage. I needed a dome of a diameter around 230 mm and as I just could not form a perfect dome by plunge moulding, I came across a dome of 235 mm. Sitting the dome on the bench I measured up from the bottom 40 mm and made a mark all the way round, then again measured up 15 mm and again marked all the way round. This area was where the electron guns are going to go. Next I need to make two rings, top and bottom, to fit where the two marks that I had made.

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 16 first stage electron guns and people Credit: Terry Regan (The people are 28% too large - they should be even smaller!) This opened up a few problems. Taking the measurements from 245 mm and the inner 222 mm The top ring inner diameter is the templates I cut out from 2 mm diameter. Glue these two together going to be smaller than the plastic styrene, two discs, outer to make it 4 mm thick and now I bottom ring and also have the beginning these rings must of the Induction be perfectly level Loop. This ring was otherwise it will not yet glued to the spoil the overall dome as I would look. Below the need to remove it section that holds several times to the electron guns carry out more work is the Induction on it. Loop. Having a long Now to the electron thought over this gun mounting problem I decided ring, again several to start making the templates were Induction Loop. I cut made till I found the a length of styrene perfect fit. Looking strip 14 mm wide, at Adrian Mann's not 15 mm, and CAD drawings they around a 1 metre show a ridge/trench long so as to allow but not a gap by the for the thickness of dome so I cut one the ring sitting on disc, outer at 245 it. I curled the strip mm and the inner round my fingers work out at 215 mm, then offered it up to which gave a nice the dome, trimmed snug fit to the dome. off what was not The second disc I needed and glued. cut again 245 mm Next, to cut the outer and the inner bottom ring, I made support structure and second stage with one first stage at 218 mm again several templates out tank removed Credit: Terry Regan using 2 mm styrene of cardboard until card. I now have the one fitted perfectly. ridge/trench look. Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 17 Now I had the top ring made I 0.6 mm hole through each one diameter of 170 mm x 12 mm cut a strip of styrene card 22 mm and "super glued" 15 amp fuse wide using a compass cutter and wide and around 1 metre long and wire. These would be the locating detail was added to the ring. Once again curled it around my fingers pins. The mounting points were I was happy with it, I made the to get the ring. Now I had another glued evenly all the way round the third part of the support structure - problem, this ring has got to sit top of the electron gun housing. same again, more support mounts, perfectly square all the way round Using a pack of 2.5 mm styrene drilling and fuse wire. It was all otherwise it will look awful and rod I cut into lengths of 45 mm assembled to the main dome. A again spoil the look. So another and drilled both ends with 6 mm steel ruler was placed on top of set of rings were made but with a holes so they could lock into the the structure in six places and smaller outer diameter, one to be fuse wire. I then cut off twelve 3 the structure was all out of line. glued to the top of the Induction mm discs, again drilled a large I didn’t even have to check the Loop and the other to the hole end to end and threaded in measurements, it looked awful! underside of the top electron gun two pieces of fuse wire, spread ring then I glued in the round ring where the guns are going to be fitted. I now had the bottom part of the dome ready for detailing. Going back to the Induction Loop it needed some detailing to give an engineering/purpose feel to it so I cut a few lengths of styrene strips and added to the loop - going by Adrian’s drawings. There are 50 electron guns that are mounted on the dome so I had to make 50 side plates to fit to the Induction Loop. These were Eureka! A broken wine glass Credit:Terry Regan cut out of 20 thou (0.020 inches) styrene card and shaped. I used a pair of dividers to get the spaces The Support Structure even, the side plates were glued them apart and drilled a hole in and then strips of styrene were half way round to take the cross All the rods, as I mentioned, added to the top of the electron bearers. Next I started to build weren’t glued so the first job was gun ring to give more detail. The the support structure placing each to “tease” the structure into some last thing to do was to mark out rod into the fuse wire but not sort of shape around the dome the centre of each of the fifty bays gluing at this stage as adjustment which took out around 80% of where the electron guns were to would be needed. Another set of the “misshape” then replace the be fitted. More on that later. rods were cut to 45 mm long and ruler on top again in 6 places again drilled both ends. More 3 and took measurements. I found The Support Structure mm discs were cut (this time only 8 rods required shortening by a six) and then cut in half, drilled Looking at the plans from Adrian few millimetres. I rechecked the and fuse wired and then fitted. Mann (bisbos.com), there are measurements and found again It's all now taking shape although three sections of lattice work a few “tweaks” here and there. looking somewhat out of line. I construction forming the main Another measurement and this will worry about that later! Now support structure. On the second time it's spot on. Each piece was I had the two part lattice work level there is an induction coil taken off glued and refitted. support structure built although and the bottom of the support nothing at this stage is glued Vertical Truss structure is mounted on twelve down and all is held together mounting points on top of the This is the vertical support with fuse wire. Next step was the electron gun housing. I cut six structure. It goes through the induction coil; this was made out discs off a 3 mm diameter rod, Parabolic Reflector and is the of 2 mm thick plastic card with cut them all in half and drilled a large disc that holds the six large

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 18 fuel tanks and the second stage. Parabolic Reflector arms. The tanks were all fitted This would have to be made in to check for alignment. Again I had to cut a large disc out of 2 two parts. 12 rods were cut in some tweaks here and there and mm plastic card. As I don’t have lengths of 55 mm, drilled and all is good. Now for the big test, a compass cutter big enough I had pinned, and fitted to the support will the support structure take the to make my own cutter and cut structure. I hit another problem; weight of the fuel tanks and the a disc to be 360 mm in diameter. the vertical rods went all out of second stage? The biggest lump Then the next problem was to line so I had to make a jig to fit of my life came into my throat form the pellet gun funnel. I had on top of the rods which kept as I placed the whole assembly, been thinking about this for a everything in line. Once happy fuel tanks and second stage onto couple of years and came up with I started to build in the lattice the main engine support structure nothing until one evening in the work and it needed yet another and stepped back waiting for pub, I was enjoying a pint when Induction Coil so another ring everything to collapse. It held the one of the bar staff broke a stem was made, 5 mm deep with two weight! I was just gobsmacked. off a wine glass “Eureka!” there rings cut out for the top and I gave it a good look all over and was the answer to my funnel bottom and glued to the truss. A there were no bulges or bits and problem. I couldn’t use that wine second truss was made to go on pieces breaking away so I left it glass as it was too badly damaged, top of the Parabolic Reflector but for a week and all was OK, the so I bought two glasses and cut this needed an internal support panic was over. At this stage I had the base off the stem in one go, structure to hold the second stage. spent over 350 hours just building heated up the plastic and plunged the 1st stage so a well earned beer the glass in to form the funnel. Second Stage Support was needed. So I'm sorry to say a wine glass Structure. was harmed in the making of this The final detail The second stage Daedalus sat model. inside the top part of the main A hole was drilled in the bottom engine support structure. Emailing A second disc was cut out and of the funnel for the Pellet Gun Adrian Mann about this I found then I cut out the centre and glued and drilled into the top of the out there was no documentation the two together to give it some engine dome, I had a 60 mm on this so I came up with my own strength. The top half of the truss diameter Christmas "bauble" idea. So I made four framework was then glued on. The whole disc which was just perfect for the LH structures with an angle guide so, assembly was fitted to the engine tank. This was wrapped in gold when lowering the second stage, it and I checked it all was level. foil from a chocolate sweet Rolo basically guided itself to rest with Some tweaking here and there and wrapper with a rod glued in the electromagnets to hold the second all is fine! bottom for the pellet gun. Twelve stage in place. The idea behind power supply/power storage The Fuel Tanks this is - cut the power, and away systems were made from 21.5 mm it goes! My thoughts were that if I needed six tanks of around 140 plumber's plastic pipe - detailed. explosive bolts, clamping system mm in diameter and searching on were used, all you need is one the Internet came up with large The finishing stage - bolt or clamp to fail and the whole Christmas "baubles". They were Painting. mission would be jeopardised. I 150 mm but I ordered them. Once At this point not much had been test fitted the second stage into they arrived I cleaned off all the glued together so the whole the truss, took measurements and glitter and detailed them. Now model was disassembled ready made the support structures. I on to the fuel tank support arms. for painting, I wanted to give a pinned and glued the structures Going from the CAD drawings very real engineering feel to the in and did a test fit. Disaster! from Adrian Mann they were model so a trip down to Halfords The second stage just didn’t fit, again a lattice work construction. car accessory shop was required! I was one millimetre out on my Again I just could not replicate I looked at their car paint range measurements, so removed them, that so, using six square plastic and picked up several different trimmed them all up and refitted - rods, I drilled hundreds of holes shades of silver. The whole model all OK! and made six locking mounts to was given a few coats of primer. fit on the truss and twelve locking The main engine dome was mounts to fit on the end of the given a coat of graphite grey, the

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 19 support structure bright silver, to the Parabolic Reflector gave it several coats of vanish, the fuel tanks in an aluminium and I wanted to keep it to an rubbing down each coat until it shade and so on - trying not to astronomical/interstellar theme was like glass. The BIS and Icarus clash with colours. The fine detail so I sprayed the disc in Rover Interstellar logos were made and was airbrushed using car paints. Starburst Silver then masked finally a brass plaque will be fitted Now to get the paints from the up into panels. Next was Ford and one final thing to be made is “rattle” cans I formed a funnel Moon Dust silver followed by a carrying box. The model will from greaseproof paper used Nissan Stardust silver and finally have to be transported and custom in cooking, put it into a jar and Ford Cosmic Silver. The whole made boxes will be the easiest sprayed onto the paper. Collected model was then reassembled and way to do this. it in the bottom of the jar and glued. A base was needed so I got then poured it into the airbrush. a piece of Pine wood 600x600 Conclusion I wanted to add panelling detail mm rounded the edges off and My total work, including the second stage, was just over 700 hours. When Kelvin Long of i4is first asked me if I could build a Daedalus Model and then showed me the pictures I just didn't think I could build it due to the complex shape and construction. Terry at work The model would be quite fragile Credit: Paul and it pushed the boundaries of Kemp my scratch building abilities. Well this is the end result. It has been an interesting, frustrating, but enjoyable project but it did come with blood, sweat and tears. And yes, blood was shed a few times. The model is on the fragile side but I have just heard that an acrylic display case has been delivered to BIS so it has a secure home.

MORE ABOUT THE UNVEILING OF THE MODEL IN OUR NEWS SECTION.

About the Author Terry Regan is a model maker to both the British Interplanetery Society (BIS) and the Initiative for Interstellar Studies (i4is). His work includes the Voyager and Pioneer deep-space probes and the winning design for the Dragonfly laser-push interstellar probe as well as this magnificent model of the BIS Daedalus starship. He also led the construction of the 4 metre high i4is 2001 monolith for the 2014 SF Worldcon in London, assisted by i4is volunteers Paul Campbell and John Davies. In his "day job" Terry maintains HGVs (trucks to our American friends).

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 20 Interstellar Studies at the ISU Rob Swinney and John Davies summarise two intensive weeks at the International Space University, Strasbourg.

Introduction The Initiative for Interstellar Studies delivered a 2-week elective to the students on the Masters of Space Studies course at the International Space University, Strasbourg, 2-13 May 2016. We aimed to broaden and deepen students' knowledge of starship design and technology. We also covered philosophical, social and economic issues in interstellar studies. The elective concluded with the presentations of white papers by teams of the Masters students with preparation for these threaded throughout the two weeks and i4is team members assisting throughout. The Course The Local Neighbourhood Credit: www.vb-tech.co.za The opening theme on the • Extrapolating technology delivered by Rob Swinney and first day was delivered by • Precursor missions Sam Harrison. Marc addressed - Rob Swinney (M8-ISR-L01 • Advanced propulsion concepts • The interstellar space Introduction to Interstellar Studies • Onboard systems environment - The similarities Elective, M8-ISR-L02 History • Design concepts for vehicles and differences between and Background to Interstellar • The case for interstellar: conventional (ie Earth orbit) Studies, M8-ISR-L03 Scaling Justifications from survival spacecraft environment the Problem and M8-ISR-L04 of humanity (threats from and the interstellar space White Paper Brief R Swinney). destruction) or the simple environment. Rob started by summing up i4is "outward urge”. • The spacecraft design process achievements - Rob continued with the theme: - A look at some of the key • 1st general interstellar book: budget elements involved in Beyond the Boundary Destinations (M8-ISR-L05 Destinations, M8-ISR-L06 spacecraft design. • Supervision of International • The interstellar spacecraft Space University student Precursor Missions 1, M8- ISR-L07 Precursor Missions 2) bus - The similarities reports and projects and differences between • Project Dragonfly - first small The following day began with conventional spacecraft bus interstellar probe design Professor Chris Welch, ISU, systems and interstellar bus • School Outreach briefing the students for their systems. • Starship Engineer course white paper work (M8-ISR-L08 Writing a White Paper). The The day concluded with Professor - and the subjects of the course - Ian Crawford, Birkbeck College, • Introduction and Scales main theme was Space Systems, developed by Marc Casson of University of London, also by • Choice of destinations Webex from UK (M8-ISR-L11 • Ideas from science fiction i4is (M8-ISR-L09 Space Systems 1, M8-ISR-L10 Space Systems 2) The Local Interstellar Medium). Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 21 The third day covered Spacecraft Design with Andreas Hein (M8- ISR-L12 Spacecraft Design and Concepts 1, M8-ISR-L13 Spacecraft Design and Concepts 2, M8-ISR-L14 Spacecraft Design and Concepts 3) covering- • Part 1: Concept development for interstellar missions - Spacecraft design process • Part 2: Concept development process - TRIZ problem- solving methods and Architecture patterns • Part 3: Technology assessment Dragonfly mission architecture comparison (@100 GW beam power) - Concept Maturity Levels The higher the spacecraft mass, the more scientific instruments we can carry. (CML), Technology Maturity The shorter the acceleration duration, the smaller the laser infrastructure (smaller lens). Credit: Andreas Hein Levels (TRL), Technology feasibility and strategy. The following day began with the (M8-ISR-L25 Science Fiction Andreas was followed by Angelo wider theme Making the Case for Concepts 1, M8-ISR-L26 Science Genovese, Thales Deutschland Interstellar, begun by John Davies Fiction Concepts 2) with John & i4is (M8-ISR-L15 Electric of i4is (M8-ISR-L22 The Case acknowledging input from Kelvin Propulsion, M8-ISR-L16 for Interstellar 1, M8-ISR-L23 Long and Rick Garcia of i4is. Advanced Electric Propulsion The Case for Interstellar 2). John The last teaching day had Systems for Interstellar Precursor offered a tentative definition of the theme: Using Einstein Missions). “Interstellar” in this context - delivered by Kelvin Long (M8- The means to understand, The second week of the course ISR-L28 Interstellar Travel communicate and travel across using Einstein Physics 1, M8- began with Kelvin F Long of the space between the stars. i4is on the theme of Advanced ISR-L29 interstellar Travel using So “Interstellar Studies” is the Einstein Physics 2, M8-ISR-L30 Propulsion (M8-ISR-L18 study of these means. Advanced Propulsion Systems 1, Interstellar Travel using Einstein John quoted prominent advocates Physics 3). M8-ISR-L19 Advanced Propulsion Robert L Forward and Arthur The final day was devoted to the Systems 2, M8-ISR-L20 Advanced C Clarke and the views of Propulsion Systems 3). Kelvin student teams delivering their influencers from Tsiolkovsky white papers: aimed to equip the students to - to Harold "Sonny" White. 1. Discuss how interstellar John finished by suggesting 1. Creating an Interstellar propulsion or advanced that technological optimism, Focussed Society propulsion differs from tempered with political realism, 2. Breakthrough Starshot Sail and conventional or interplanetary was essential to deliver popular Environmental Challenges propulsion requirements. support for Interstellar. 3. World Ship Revisited 2. Explain the basic physics The day's lectures concluded with 4. The Nature of Intelligent Life and engineering challenges Stephen Ashworth of i4is (M8- in the Galaxy relevant to the design ISR-L24 Relationship between 5. An Interstellar Mission of interstellar propulsion interstellar and interplanetary Based on Advanced Artificial systems. exploration) delivered by Webex Intelligence 3. Describe some of the from Oxford, UK. The adjudication was by Kelvin proposed solutions, including The next day had the theme of Long of i4is and Professor Chris specific propulsion types Imagination to Reality, paralleling Welch of ISU. and how to calculate some the British Interplanetary fundamental performance More about this course in Society's "From Imagination to properties. subsequent editions of Principium. Reality", John Davies introduced Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 22 The Initiative for Interstellar Studies presents

‘BEYOND THE BOUNDARY’ is a ground-breaking new book looking at the possibilities of interstellar fl ight, including BEYOND the technology that will THE BOUNDARY drive our starships, the “A valuable reference for those interested in planets and stars that will interstellar travel” – Les Johnson be our destinations, the sociological basis and Exploring the impact of becoming a science and culture of interstellar spaceflight space-faring civilisation and how our interstellar Edited by Kelvin F Long future is depicted in art and culture.

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Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 23 Rob Swinney and STARSHIP ENGINEER Kelvin F Long News of our innovative Starship Engineer course was originally reported in Issue 12 of Principium, published in February 2016. But here, as promised, is a wider report of the course and how it was received.

Introduction medium and what science could be achieved. The participants were This is the i4is Educational introduced to the 1990s NASA propulsion systems, antennas and Academy programme which was and JPL Thousand Astronomical the NASA Deep Space Network, piloted during 24-25 November Unit (TAU) mission which would communications link budgets. 2015 at the Headquarters of the have gone to 1,000 AU propelled British Interplanetary Society. The by a nuclear electric engine using course was split into two separate In the third lecture of the day, the 12 ion thrusters. The probe would days and participants could attend participants were given specific have carried a payload of 5 tonnes either or both, although for those case studies on fusion spacecraft in mass and the total vehicle mass that had attended the first day design. This featured elements would have been 60 tonnes with they had an advantage going into of the General Dynamics and an additional 40 tonnes for the the second day having received a United States Air Force Project liquid xenon propellant. He then good background on Orion nuclear spacecraft concepts. Rob Swinney talking about the interstellar medium during bomb propulsion The two days were Starship Engineer course initiative from the run jointly by Rob 1960s, as well as Swinney and Kelvin a backgrounder F Long, and although on basic fusion both contributed to physics theory. the full curriculum, The BIS Project Rob took the lead Daedalus featured on Day 1 and Kelvin of course, as the took the lead on Day students were 2. There were 34 introduced to attendees in total. its large 50,000 tonnes propellant Day 1 Lectures mass and 450 The participants tonnes payload were welcomed to mass, and nearly placed this technology and the the course by Rob Swinney, i4is twice the height of even the earlier interplanetary spacecraft Deputy Director and the Chairman Project Apollo Saturn V launch missions in the context of the of the Education Committee. He rocket. began by introducing the Initiative types of propulsion performance In the fourth lecture of the for Interstellar Studies and some required for an interstellar day, presented by Kelvin, the of our innovative programmes mission. participants were given specific such as the Project Dragonfly In the second lecture of the day, case studies on solar sail and laser-sail propulsion studies. He the participants were introduced laser sail propulsion. This started talked about some of the historical to the different spacecraft with a solid introduction to solar achievements of the interplanetary systems and this included a sail technologies and physics space probes such as Pioneer, case study description of the as well as the types of materials Voyager and New Horizons. He Voyager probe. The types of that could be used. Some case followed this by discussing the subjects studied included the studies were examined including possibility of more advanced thermal and environment control, the Japan IKAROS spacecraft missions out into the interstellar radiator theory, power systems, Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 24 Team 2 doing calculations

Team 1 doing calculations

launched in 2010 which was team members were assigned key they were required to describe the propelled onto the planet Venus, positions and this was overseen propulsion performance of their as well as mission proposals such by a team Captain. This involved final vehicle and also sketch out as the Interstellar Probe and the calculations relating to propulsion the mission profile. Interstellar Heliosphere Probe. specific problems for a mission The participants were then given to the Alpha Centauri star system Day 2 Lectures a backgrounder on laser sail 4.4 light years away. But, to throw During the second day the physics with a specific case study a spanner in the works, just as participants were introduced to the into the Robert Forward 1980s the participants had thought they Starship concepts from Science Starwisp concept. Fiction (SF). First was To round it off they Starship Engineer Workshop Day 1 Participants coverage of distance were introduced to scales in the universe, the idea of propulsion followed by how hybridization of we look at concepts different engines. through the lens of This was an idea from physics, engineering Kelvin to combine and economics. different propulsion This was followed systems as a means of by a discussion finding new trade-offs on different types to optimise the design. had solved all the problems, a of energy sources for starship ‘design change’ was ordered, propulsion and the demonstration Day 1 Workshop which meant that some of the of an interstellar roadmap linked After the comprehensive lectures calculations had to be revised to technology readiness levels. the participants then split into two and then extended into new Next came a discussion of ideas teams and were asked to solve territory. The idea was to give the for flight, from Leonardo da a set of physics and engineering participants some experience of Vinci and his various inventions problems that built on the lectures what it was like to work on a real to stories about how to get to the that had been presented. The world design problem. In the end,

Team 1 presentation of Team 2 presentation of design solutions design solutions

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 25 moon such as Jules calculating Kelvin F Long presenting starship Verne ‘From the ideas from SF and space art artificial gravity, Earth to the Moon’ detailed case (1865) and H G Wells studies into ‘The First Men in the world ships, Moon’ (1901) and the fusion starship British Interplanetary designs and Society lunar lander laser/microwave developed in the beam propulsion 1930s and 1950s as a concepts. demonstration of the (Rendezvous with Rama, 1973), The participants BIS Motto ‘From Imagination to a quantum ramjet (The Songs of were then taken through a series Reality’. Distant Earth, 1986), solar sail of physics and engineering Participants were then shown spacecraft (The Wind from the calculation problems, originally various starships from SF and Sun, 1972), written for the i4is Interstellar asked, as part of an interactive Minimum paper (see a later It wasn’t all just about Clarke. session, what they could tell about issue). This covered all of the key Other concepts covered included the vehicle design. This included propulsion concepts as well as an Alcubierre warp drive (Stephen the Star Wars Millennium Falcon other design subjects necessary Baxter, Ark, 2012), Bussard with its hyper-dimensional drive, to begin understanding starship ramjet (Poul Anderson, Tau Zero, the original Star Trek warp drive design principles. 1970), antimatter torch ships ship, the Bussard interstellar (Robert Heinlein, Time for the ramjet depicted in the British TV Day 2 Workshop Stars, 1956), antimatter catalysed show ‘Red Dwarf’ and the hyper- During the afternoon the fusion ships (Charles Pellegrino, drive from ‘Blakes 7’. There then participants were again divided Flying to Valhalla, 1994 and Greg followed example space art and into two teams each choosing a Bear, Queen of Angels, 1990), SF art from the likes of David A project leader and other roles. laser sail propulsion (Larry Niven Hardy, Jon Lomberg, Alex Storer They were given the challenge of & Jerry Pournelle, The Mote in and John Berkey, all an exercise constructing their own starship God’s Eye, 1974). in the equivalent of "starship using the knowledge they had recognition"! Throughout the day actual gained and their own imagination; vehicle concepts and designs There then followed a swing after all this day’s workshop was were also shown to put SF through various SF literature based on SF concepts. They were in context. This included the and the spacecraft and starship to describe the power source, nuclear bomb powered Project concepts were explored. This propulsion and provide supporting Orion (1950s-1960s), the BIS included concepts from various calculations for the design. nuclear fusion Project Daedalus Arthur C Clarke books including It was to be a starship that was (1973-1978) and Project Icarus the nuclear powered ramjet capable of travelling at a speed successors, nuclear fusion Project (Prelude to Space, 1953), the much less than light but exceeding Longshot (1988), BIS world ship nuclear electric space drive 0.5% c. There were to define the designs (1984), Enzmann colony (Earthlight, 1955), an advanced cruise velocity, typical travel starships (1960s), project AIMStar thruster engine (The Hammer of times, mission destination, mass antimatter propulsion (1990s), the God, 1993), an atomic powered breakdown, dimensions of the microwave driven sail Starwisp vessel (The Sands of Mars, 1951), vessel and an estimate for the concept (1984). an asymptotic black hole drive population size. A diagram of the (Imperial Earth, 1975), and the The participants were also vessel design was also required hyper-dimensional Monoliths given some insights into the and in addition the participants depicted in “2001: A Space fundamental physics issues such were given the challenge of Odyssey” (and the sequels), as relativistic flight effects due describing the background society, as well as the actual spaceship to Einstein physics, propulsion culture, primary alien anatomy shown in the film, called theory such as thrust, specific and planet of origin. They were “Discovery I”. The course also power and jet power, vehicle to also describe the industry on covered a reactionless space drive structure materials design, the planet which gave rise to Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 26 the starship and its associated discovered a species of space the star absorbing its energy, and technology and to describe the born creatures that took nutrition then convert that into antimatter. connection between this industry by feeding on energy from the Once it was replenished it would and the planet's economy which local star. These space creatures drift away from the star, close up gave rise to the starship society. were not necessarily intelligent, its ‘wing like’ surface area, and Another challenge set was to although they had evolved the habitat would be placed within define the value system of the naturally in space, and could its structure. It would become background culture which enabled reproduce. They were not in a hybrid between a biological value transactions (eg money), themselves interstellar capable. entity and a spacecraft. Once the background political system It was discovered that what they fully charged it would enclose the and other factors relevant to the actually farmed were antimatter habitat within its wing structure. society, including the governance particles by converting them from They speculated that there would structure of the starship. And particles emitted by solar flares. be lots of these hybrid spacecraft which would flock like birds. if all this was not challenging The people found a way to enough, they were also given domesticate these creatures, and The living world ship would be the additional task of adhering then utilise them by capturing capable of travelling to speeds to the criterion of their starship them and placing habitats within up to 3% of light, which meant being ‘sustainable’ including their structure. In the same way that a journey to 2 light years three ecological elements to it, the that bacteria lives within a body, would take around 60 years, or a relationship of the vessel and its so the people could live within little more when accounting for environment to the crew, such as these creatures. This living acceleration and deceleration. At the starship replicated elements process was sustainable in that the destination, the habitat could of ‘living systems’ as studied by the waste products of the creature once again be separated from the Professor Rachel Armstrong of would be re-used by the society main creature and it could begin Newcastle University. Adherence on board. It was realised that the process again of mining its to the known laws of physics was there was potential to use these fuel from the local star, prior to vital and all results were to be creatures like world ships and to embarking on the next leg of its presented to the workshop at the adapt them as living vessels, and journey. end of the day. so using techniques from genetic The habitat would hold around It will not come as a surprise that engineering the creatures were 110,000 people and would have a all of this turned out to be a hefty bred up over multiple generations length of around 10 km, and the demand for the short time that into actual world ships. whole ship would have a mass of the participants had to address The creatures, which had a squid around 100 million metric tonnes. the problems, although that was like appearance, would move The team estimated that travelling one of the learning experiences close to the star, and open wing at the cruise speed, for a given of running the workshop, and like structures to make a large million tonnes, that will be 5×1022 for sure the participants had a surface area of at least 100 km in joules per million tonnes of lot of fun. The output from the each direction. This would then kinetic energy for that speed. two teams is described below, act as a solar collecting area, and The team estimated that to get although a modified design layout close to the star would receive the required energy for a single is represented in Table 1, based around 65 MW/m2 of power interstellar flight, they would need on an assessment of the team’s and so on that basis would take to mine around half a million calculated design numbers and the a lot of power to generate that tonnes of antimatter to generate conclusion that further changes energy and accelerate it to the the required energy, and this had to be made to make them at required cruise speed. So with would also be combined with least self-consistent. a 10 by 10 m2 solar collecting an equivalent mass in matter, Team Antrix (meaning ‘between area, it would only take a day to so the total fuel mass would be the worlds’ from Sanskrit), power up if one assumed a 100% around 1 million tonnes. This envisioned a race of people who energy efficiency. In reality, with implied that with the 3% c cruise lived on a planet around a star. an assumed 10% conversion velocity that the final mass would These people had eventually efficiency, the creature would be around the same as the initial became space capable and then spend between 5-10 years near mass. Therefore for the total

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 27 combined mass of 100 million tonnes, around 3 million tonnes The Initiative for of that would be the fuel, on the basis that rocket equation showed Interstellar Studies is Hiring! that the initial mass and the final mass would be nearly the same, For the moment this is pro bono - though we have due to the high performance of ambitions. We produced the flyer below for the BIS antimatter fuels. Charterhouse Conference, July 2016, but the mes- In consideration of the economic sage is, of course, universal. We have new team steps to interstellar flight, two phases were envisioned. The members already helping but we need more - from first was the development of an all the talents and from all parts of this planet. economic capability to get off world and so domesticate these Get in touch with any of our team if you have a drive to help space born creatures. The second us go to the stars - or just email [email protected] was the independent economy to build the world ships. Once the society was out into space visiting other planetary systems, it sustains itself economically by trading resources between The Initiative for Interstellar Studies different stellar systems, in an analogue to a chain like group of Pacific islands. Developing this interstellar capability obviously depended heavily on the construction of these biological starships, which had to be grown and this process could take up to 1,000 years before they reached maturity. image: ©ALEX STORER Team Griffin (who named their starship ‘Phoenix’) envisaged a Working towards the real Final Frontier race of spawn people, who were Help us to realise our mission to reach the stars - we need your help - physics bipedal and mostly lived on land, to software engineering, graphic design to project management - and rocket science of course! ...and much more.... but were also partly amphibious, and had evolved on a planet they Speak to one of the i4is team. You will see us all round the conference called ‘The Pond’. The species »» Kelvin Long: i4is Executive Director, Advisory Council of Project Starshot, had a single compound eye and author Deep Space Propulsion, A Roadmap to Interstellar Flight (Springer) »» Rob Swinney: i4is Education Director, had evolved to perceive light on BIS/Icarus Interstellar Project Leader, Project Icarus very low levels which included »» Terry Regan: creator of the BIS Daedalus model and the i4is Monolith infra-red wavelengths. They are »» Richard Osborne: Rocket Scientist capable of carrying hundreds or »» John Davies: Project Manager & Editor, Principium, the i4is quarterly thousands of eggs for each birth Look out for the i4is logo on our badges & just buttonhole one of us! cycle. The species were quite tall @I4Interstellar with a height of between 6 ft and

R O 9 ft. F E V Contact: [email protected] I Web: i4is.org

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The species were already space T I N capable and had evolved their I S society to the point of mining T U D I E S local asteroids and had sent Principium: tinyurl.com/principium probes into their local interstellar

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 28 large winged antimatter stellar mining birds which would then interact. It (Team Antrix) would be continually regulated but they can intervene if the system started to fail. It was built around a main ecology pod. Other pods on board the starship included one that contains water, which is where the eggs are laid. This was required for the species development as partly aquatic life forms. So it would have both a dry and wet environment. The large pods would be positioned on the back of the starship and the smaller ones towards the front. medium. In particular, the species the design of starships due to a A heat shield would be located were said to be aggressive in pending ecological disaster due on the front of the vessel. Small nature, and to have evolved to the volcanic eruptions and the thrusters would be positioned on weapons based technologies, danger of a runaway greenhouse the side of the starship to control including nuclear, which enabled effect (as on the planet Venus) gravity spin and manoeuvring. them to build the starship power and the expected expansion of The vessel would also host an The Initiative for Interstellar Studies and propulsion systems. To their star. To avoid this pending artificial intelligence and spare moderate their aggressive and disaster, they estimated they parts for en route maintenance. self-destructive tendencies, had 50-100 years to develop the they had created a system of starships and escape off world. Table 1 is an attempt to compare control which deferred decisions Approximately 1,000 to 10,000 the two designs from Team Antrix to a single female egg carrier. people would be sent to populate and Team Griffin, modifying They had no concept of trade or the new planet. the numbers a little in order to provide a consistent model. Where commerce, and to control their The starship designs they invented significant changes to the designs own population sizes they would were powered by three deuterium- were made this was necessary resort to cannibalism. helium-3 fusion engines and had a in order to prevent a design The species lived on the third payload of typically 10,000 tonnes image: ©ALEX STORER inconsistency. The two important planet from their star, and there and a total ship mass of around parameters that were adhered to were other populated planets 10 million tonnes when setting from the original concepts were in their system from separately out. The starships would leave the cruise velocity and the total evolved species. But an accident the stellar system entirely, and wet mass (structure + payload + wiped out one of the other species would typically set out to travel a fuel). and a lot of their knowledge distance of 10 lightyears (LY) to was passed on to the spawn the next star system. They would What emerges is two very people. The earlier species had a accelerate at around 2% Earth inefficient concepts, both in technological capability that was gravity and reach 10% of the their use of mass and in their 1,500 years ahead of the spawn speed of light in around 5.5 years. use of energy. However, it is people. They would take around 90-100 the intention here to show the output of the workshops, ‘warts They had set their attention to years to complete the journey and this would be followed by and all’ and the reader should approximately 6 months keep in mind that the majority of for deceleration. participants had no experience with spacecraft design and a The creatures achieved sometimes only rudimentary regulation of the knowledge of science and environment on the mathematics. Despite the output, starship using a self- it was an interesting exercise regulating ecosystem, to see what creative ideas the animal, plant, atmosphere, ‘Phoenix’ fusion engine concept (Team Griffin) participants would come up with Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 29 after only one day of learning.

The Starship Engineer education Table 1 Approximate decelerating starship performance for two teams on course was a pilot programme and Starship Engineer Science Fiction workshop with post analysis changes. the i4is team learned a lot from Team Antrix Team Griffin running such an event. Indeed, a Propulsion system Antimatter engine Fusion engine similar event has now been tested Fuel type Proton-antiproton Deuterium-Heli- on four separate occasions and um-3 the learning experiences from Combined mass (tonnes) 100 million 10 million this will be used in the future to Fuel mass (tonnes) 1 million 7 million help develop a credible spacecraft Structure mass (tonnes) 24.2 million 346,700 Throw away mass en route 64.8 million 2.64 million education course but one that (tonnes) also produces realistic and usable Payload mass (tonnes) 10 million 10 thousand output, deserving of the name Population 110,000 10,000 Starship Engineer. Total mass ratio 8.5 785.8 As well as a certificate, the Mass ratio 2.9 28 participants attending both events Exhaust velocity (%c)(km/s) 2.8 (8,400) 3.0 (9,000) also received a specially printed Implied mass flow rate (kg/s) 7.9 40.4 publication titled ‘Starship Implied Thrust (MN) 66.4 363.2 Engineering: Foundational Topics Implied Jet Power (TW) 279.9 1,634.5 for Interstellar Space Exploration Implied Specific Power assum- 27.9 163.4 – An Interstellar Monograph’ ing 10,000 tonnes propulsion co-written by the organisers as mass (MW/kg) an introduction to Interstellar Cruise velocity (%c) 3.0 (9,000) 10 (30,000) Time duration for 5 LY and 10 170.0, 337.0 60, 110 Studies. i4is plans to continue to LY mission (Years) build these educational courses. Boost time (Years) 2.0 5.5 They are a lot of fun and a great Average acceleration (m/s²) 0.000285 0.2 way for students, enthusiasts and even professionals to get up to organisers of the workshop from involvement in this pilot speed on fairly complex concepts the Initiative for Interstellar educational programme. relating to interstellar spacecraft Studies would like to thank the and starship engineering. The participants for their enthusiastic

Starship Engineer Workshop Day 2

STOP PRESS! Starship Engineer 2016 - Weekend of 12-13 November, BIS London The Initiative for Interstellar Studies will deliver a revised and updated Starship Engineer course over the weekend of 12-13 November at BIS HQ, Vauxhall, London. This is an opportunity to help you understand the issues in deep space and interstellar exploration. We hope it appeals especially to people who find a weekday course hard to schedule - and also those who find weekday accommodation in London expensive. Contact [email protected] for details.

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 30 The world’s first interstellar academic education Issue 3 out journal! soon from lulu.com Buy issues 1 and 2 today!

Issue 3 includes - • Is the Concept of (Stapledon) Universal Mentality Credible? : Kelvin F Long • Origin of Life, Inflation and Quantum Entanglement: Tong B Tang • How Might Artificial Intelligence Come About? Different Approaches and their Implications for Life in the Universe: David Brin

NEXT ISSUE

Next time we aim to say much more about our Project Andromeda, reported in the News this time. We will also have a major piece about David Hardy and his artistic and imaginative contribution to making us all more interstellar minded. Our Guest Introduction will be by Professor Nick Kanas, of University of California, San Francisco, and former NASA Principal Investigator. We'll be looking in more detail at one of the course items from the ISU elective reported in this issue. And we'll celebrate the installation of Terry Regan's Daedalus model at BIS HQ with some imaginative picturing of the model inspired by Adrian Mann's art work for Daedalus.

Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 31 Mission The mission of the Initiative for Interstellar Studies is to foster and promote education, knowledge and technical capabilities which lead to designs, technologies or enterprise that will enable the construction and launch of interstellar spacecraft.

Vision We aspire towards an optimistic future for humans on Earth and in space. Our bold vision is to be an organisation that is central to catalysing the conditions in society over the next century to enable robotic and human exploration of the frontier beyond our Solar System and to other stars, as part of a long-term enduring strategy and towards a sustainable space- based economy.

Values To demonstrate inspiring leadership and ethical governance, to initiate visionary and bold programmes co-operating with partners inclusively, to be objective in our assessments yet keeping an open mind to alternative solutions, acting with honesty, integrity and scientific rigour.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on Principium, the Initiative or interstellar flight in general. Email - [email protected] - or come along to Facebook, Twitter (@I4Interstellar) or LinkedIn to join in the conversation.

Editor: John I Davies Deputy Editor : Kelvin F Long Layout: John I Davies

The Initiative For Interstellar Studies is a pending institute, incorporated in the UK in 2014 as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.

R O Front cover: Engineering drawing of Orion spacecraft, produced for the Cosmos series. F Credit: Rick Sternbach / K F Long collection E V I Back cover: The thickness of Enceladus’s ice shell, which reaches 35 kilometres in the T

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cratered equatorial regions (shown in yellow) and less than 5 kilometres in the active I T

I south polar region (shown in blue). Credit: LPG-CNRS-U. Nantes/U. Charles, Prague. N www.centauri-dreams.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/lpgn_a.jpg I

S T U D I E S Principium | Issue 14 | August 2016 i4is.org 32